Wearable electronic devices, such as watches, are incorporating more active features including sensors, higher speed processors, and larger displays, which are expected to dissipate increased amounts of heat. The heat transfer path for cooling the wearable devices is partly, and unintentionally, to the wearer's skin, which can create discomfort even under modest heat load conditions, if not properly managed. Known heat-spreading mechanisms for electronic devices focus on keeping the internal electronics at an acceptable operating temperature but are not optimized for keeping a user's skin cool when the electronic device is a wearable electronic device.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.